Rory McIlroy left Amanda Balionis in hysterics on Friday afternoon as she interviewed the reigning Masters champion once again at Augusta National.
Two years after unsubstantiated rumours of an affair between the golf reporter and grand slam winner, Balionis has interviewed McIlroy on both days of this year’s tournament.
On Friday, she asked McIlroy about an interaction he had with golf icon Jack Nicklaus before his opening round 24 hours earlier.
Balionis asked: ‘I know Jack Nicklaus said something to you before your opening round. What did he tell you?’
To which McIlroy replied: ‘No f***ing double bogeys.’
At that point Balionis burst out laughing as McIlroy stood alongside her at the practice facilities at Augusta National. Nicklaus was in the studio at the time and confirmed that was his message to McIlroy.
The Northern Irishman clearly took Nicklaus’ advice on board as he posted a superb five-under-par round on day one to give him a share of the lead alongside American Sam Burns.
It was, of course, another interview with Balionis in 2024 that fuelled speculation about relations between the golfer and the attractive interviewer, known for her flirtatious on-air style and skill at drawing out often taciturn sportsmen.
When McIlroy failed to mention his wife Erica Stoll – the mother of their daughter, Poppy – during the chat at the Wells Fargo tournament which coincided with US Mother’s Day, onlookers were bemused.
A day later, when he filed for divorce from his wife of seven years, declaring the union ‘irretrievably broken,’ bemusement turned to shock.
Looking for a reason for the unprompted announcement, observers noted the apparent closeness between Balionis and McIlroy during their interview.
Days later the Daily Mail broke the news of an alleged affair between the pair after McIlroy was seen picking up a takeaway in Balionis’s name in San Diego, California, where the presenter has a home.
Neither Balionis nor McIlroy has ever addressed their rumoured romance, which was never confirmed.
However, McIlroy and Stoll reconciled not long after and appear to be every bit the happy couple.
They enjoyed Wednesday’s annual par-three tournament with daughter Poppy and then posed for pictures ahead of the Masters champion’s special dinner on Tuesday.
Early on Thursday, Balionis asked McIlroy about the difference in the pressure on his shoulders ahead of this tournament now that he finally has a green jacket in his closet.
‘It has felt very different,’ McIlroy said. ‘It’s the morning of the tournament, and those same feelings I’ve always experienced here, they come back.
‘You’re a little nervous, a little anxious. You want to get off to a good start. At the end of the day, it’s a new golf tournament; last year’s over. You want to try and do it again.
‘As much as I have reveled in the last few days, it’s business again and I want to make sure I get off to a good start.
‘One of my key thoughts last year was staying patient on the front nine. It can play difficult. You want to think you can be under par through three, but if you’re not, it’s OK. There’s plenty of time to make birdies or whatever.
‘I stayed really patient on the front nine last year and was rewarded with that really fast start on the Saturday. I know I’m not going to start like that every day, so it’s just about staying patient and playing myself into the round.’
